Craft Hope

Well, it looks like the short list will have to wait. Craft Hope just started a new project and it's right up my alley. They're collecting quilts for Margaret's Hope Chest to give to homeless children in Michigan.

They would like quilts of all sizes for boys and girls. The project is "Hope Squared" and they're asking for quilts made out of squares... a great use for scraps.

I think this quilt looks super cute:

The pattern for this great quilt will be on Craft Hope's site soon.

Another great thing about this project... you don't even have to finish the quilt. Margaret's Hope Chest will take the quilt tops and bind and quilt them for you. PERFECT. Everyone can sew a few pieces of fabric together. So let's do it!

My short list...

Just a few of the projects and recipes I'd like try in the next month or two...

Scrappy Quilt -- What a great way to use up all those extra scraps taking over under my sewing table!

Monogram Frame -- This will be beautiful in Emma Kate's room... although I'm not sure if I would use an "E" or an "EK." This would also make a GREAT baby gift.

Cutie-Patooty Owl

Flower Hair Clips

Roasted Carrot Soup for the Soul

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Pie in a Jar

1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls

Seven-layer Bars

Please let me know if you've tried any of these things and how yours turned out.

Shred update: Days 9-17

Day 9

I completely forgot about working out today until about 10:30pm. At that point, it was too late. I couldn't believe I forgot! The whole day was very busy with filling out applications and looking for jobs online for Anthony.

Day 10
I DID remember to workout today. It was difficult because Emma Kate was awake and kept climbing on furniture. I'm glad it's over!

Day 11
No shredding today... too much other stuff. I did go to the grocery store with EK, I think that counts for something. I also carried all the groceries up stairs by myself... another hard feat.

Day 12
Again no shredding. I know, I know! Sundays are very hard and LOOOOOOOOOONG for me these days. This Sunday was made longer by the GCC audition at night (which I made, woo hoo!). On the super bright side, I did get to wear another skirt to church today that I hadn't worn since before EK.

Day 13
It's so true that when you skip a couple days it's very easy to skip another. I felt myself falling into that trap and figured I might as well get it over with. So I did it! I'm so happy with myself that I did. I think after tomorrow's workout I'm going to move on to level 2.... kinda scared about it. I'm also taking measurements tomorrow. I skipped way too many days this week, so I will be surprised to see any change.

Day 14, 15, 16

I'm sorry to say that I had to skip these days. I have been feeling physically exhausted and run down lately with no energy to speak of. I'm not sure why, but it's the truth. I think I'm going to extend my 30 days to 40 days to make up for my skipped days. I was pretty hard on myself, thinking, "here you go again, starting something and not finishing it." It's pretty easy to just quit all together when you get in that state of mind. but...

Day 17

I didn't quit. I worked out today, even though it was very, very hard. I'm still feeling uber-exhausted. You know that feeling when you stand up real quick? That "I think I might pass out" but you don't feeling? That feeling kept coming over me during the workout. Probably a bad sign, huh? When that happened, I would just catch my breath and modify the move. I'm still on level 1, so it's not like my body isn't capable of this. Maybe I'm getting sick? Maybe I'm dehydrated? Anyone know about this stuff?

ps... Thanks for all the wonderful encouragement.

30 day SHRED

Okay, so I've been stumbling around, complaining about the post-pregnancy 20 pounds that have stuck on and not really doing anything about it. I've decided that I'm ready to start doing something. I'm done complaining (it only took a year).

I had been doing some reading online about Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred (the crazy trainer from The Biggest Loser). Now, if you have noticed, most winners of The Biggest Loser (TBL) are Jillian's trainees. The woman's awesome! Dang awesome! How does that insane intensity relate to a $7 DVD? I'm about to find out.

Day 1

I started today by taking some before pictures and measurements-not the most fun thing I have ever done. Emma Kate woke up from her nap, so she played with my 3 lb hand weights for awhile and then got put into her high chair for lunch (and a show). I then put in the DVD and got started. And that's when I realized I needed the DVD remote to do anything.

I looked everywhere for the stupid thing, but could not find it. I did, however, find 3 other remotes that I have no idea what they go with. So when I was about to just give up and put on the Imagination Movers for EK, I remembered that our Cox remote is universal. So I looked online, finally found the code, crossed my fingers (not sure which outcome I was hoping for), and wah-la. It worked. My grand excuse was now trashed like those 3 random remotes I found. So here we go...

Oh. My. Goodness. After about one minute into it I was seriously regretting it all. My face was beet red, my breathing out of control, my hands kept hitting the fan with every jumping jack, and EK was hollering at me because I was playing with her new toys (the hand weights) while she was stuck in a high chair. To say the least, it was a high-stress situation. But I didn't give up, in fact, I surprised myself and did the entire workout. Now mind you, it's only a 25 minute workout, but they are some serious minutes! I only had to pause twice, once to get EK out of the high chair before she climbed out, and the second time to go get her another hand weight because she wouldn't stop screaming at me. I really did it. Afterwards, I was tired, but I wasn't beat like I am when I try to run. When night time came, I felt a little stiff, but I was hopeful that the morning wouldn't be too bad.

Day 2

Uh, yeah, I woke up and needed someone with a giant spatula to scrape me off the bed. Every muscle ached and burned. Holy cow! How am I supposed to Shred today? I hurt WAY too bad to do this today! 10:00 rolled around, I put EK down for her nap and proceeded to play on the computer (I had to check out how my flowers were growing in Farm Town after all). I was hurting. But then Facebook froze. I closed my computer and thought, well, I might as well try.

I turned the DVD on, had my hand weights, water, and the phone in case of a "my-muscles-quit-working-and-I-need-help-off-the-floor" emergency, and I got started. The first few minutes, ay yi yi, were tough. But I pushed on. Before I knew it, and I usually know exactly how long I've been at something like exercising, I was doing the cool down. What?! I'm done? I did it? I... really... did... it? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually just got done. I decided afterwards that I would chronicle this crazy journey I began. Every day I will add how the workout went, I'm sure my posts will get shorter, don't fret. I will also record my progress-I'm going to take my measurements every week.

I proved to myself these past two days that I CAN do this. And now I'm telling myself, and all of you, that I WILL.

Day 3

I went to bed last night hurting, and, surprise, I woke up this morning hurting. Aching. All over. Heaven forbid I drop something on the floor, it sure wasn't going to get picked up. Every task seemed like a monumental one... and that dang 30-day Shred DVD sitting on top of the TV was like Mount Everest to me. But I thought, I might as well try... and I did.

Again, Emma Kate was in her high chair for lunch. Of course she didn't want to stay there because Mommy looked like she was having way too much fun dancing around the living room and she wanted to join in. At first it was really tough. I could barely hang in there to finish the first round of jumping jacks. But as the workout went on, my muscles loosened up and I could do more. A lot more. I found myself beginning to follow the girl doing the advanced moves, as opposed to the one doing the modified, "easier" ones. I thought, "Am I for real right now?" I even bumped up my weight on some of the moves, using 5 pound hand weights instead of the 3 pounders. (Don't laugh, 3 & 5 pound weights get pretty heavy after a while)

My biggest obstacle was the crunches, and not because they were hard. I actually LOVE doing crunches. It's weird. I could do hundreds a day. It hurts and burns, but I don't mind it for some reason (I think it's because I can lay down and workout at the same time). So anyway, this time it was almost impossible because every time I laid down to do the crunches EK would try to saddle-up and ride me like a horse. When she figured out I wasn't playing a long, she turned around, sat on my face, and started smacking my stomach (riding a horse that doesn't move is, after all, boring). I couldn't do anything because I was laughing too hard at how hilarious my situation was at that moment. It's crazy, but it's the little, seemingly meaningless, things like this one that make being a mother so awesome (and so hysterical).

Workout #3, done. Shredded.

Day 4

Anthony graduated today, so I had no idea when I was going to be able to workout. We had a big day with family and I was beat my the time it was all over. But I did it! It was VERY hard. I guess I really didn't have any more energy left, so I had to pull from deep within to find enough to finish the workout.

Day 5

Anthony and I shredded together. =) He now has a new understanding of what I'm talking about when I mention how serious this workout is... and he will most likely have an even better understanding when he gets up tomorrow morning. Jillian doesn't discriminate--she is an equal-opportunity butt kicker.

By the way, it's getting easier everyday... well, I'm getting better. I can tell I'm getting stronger and gaining endurance. Also, I was able to wear a skirt to church today that I haven't worn since before EK was born. WOOOOOOHOOOOOO! That is definitely a good thing. =)

Day 6

Anthony and I did the workout together, again. I think working out with a partner is much more fun than by yourself. Although I do have to stop to laugh sometimes (Anthony is pretty silly when he does his hip circles). Two more days until I take measurements again and see if anything's changing.

Day 7

Today was my anniversary. I decided to wait until Anthony got home from work to workout with him. Well, when he got home we immediately began cooking dinner. Our favorite dinner. Shrimp and grits. Oh it was good! The only problem was when we were done we were both so stuffed we couldn't even begin to imagine shredding. So no workout today. And I'm alright with that. It was a good day.

Day 8

I decided to go ahead and shred during EK's nap. I have been waiting for Anthony, but I thought it would be best to go ahead and do it after what happened last night.

Oh boy! It was tough today! I'm not sure if it's because I skipped a day or maybe because I had a heavy dinner, but today was HARD.

I took my measurements again. Guess what?! I lost...... 4 INCHES!!!! Here's the break down: 1" from each upper arm, 1" from my chest, 1/2" from my waist, and 1/2" from my hips. I think that's pretty dang good for my first week! I have no idea how many pounds I've lost, we don't own a scale. But I am so happy with the results I'm seeing so far.

Just "be good"

"Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done"

When in the wondrous realms above

Our Savior had been called upon

To save our world of sin by love,

He said, "Thy will, O Lord, be done."

The King of Kings left worlds of light,

Became the meek and lowly One;

In brightest day or darkest night,

He said, "Thy will, O Lord, be done."

No crown of thorns, no cruel cross

Could make our great Redeemer shun.

He counted his own will but naught,

And said, "Thy will, O Lord, be done."

We take the bread and cup this day

In memory of the sinless One,

And pray for strength, that we may say,

As he, "Thy will, O Lord, be done."

We sang this hymn yesterday in church as we prepared to take the Sacrament. The words and music of this hymn struck me, so much so that I am still thinking of them today. The last lines of the last verse hit home for me. It does require strength to align our will with the Lord's. So many times I feel like we're taught that we ought to just "be good" and things will work out. We're seldom taught how. We're even more seldom taught that it is hard.

If anyone knows how hard it is, it's Jesus Christ. He suffered for me, and all of you, not for glory or praise, he did it because it was his Father's will, our Heavenly Father, and therefore it was His will. I'm reminded of Luke 22, Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane suffering unimaginable pain and cries out to God for help, asking him to make it end, to take it away, to "remove this cup." But he presses on, saying, "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

I cannot imagine the pain our Heavenly Father had to have felt at that moment. As a parent, I cannot imagine having to watch as my innocent child suffered, so much as to bleed drops of blood from every pore. Heavenly Father was fully capable of taking it all away, but He didn't because He knew the glorious consequences of this moment. Because of Jesus Christ's Atonement, we're able to all return to our Heavenly home, to live with our Savior and Heavenly Father. We're able to repent, and be forgiven of our sins. The Law of Moses was fulfilled, and we are the benefactors.

Now it's up to us, to align our will with His, and to "be good."

My little cupcake is 1

{1 month old}

Last weekend we celebrated Emma Kate's first birthday. We threw her a cupcake-themed pool party. The location was great (thanks to my friend Kelly who reserved her community's club house) and the weather held out for us. It was a wonderful day!!

I made a banner using my Cricut, some paper (left over from the invitations), and 2 different pretty ribbons.

Her highchair just didn't match the theme, so I made a banner for it. It read "I am 1". The spaces in-between the letters are cupcakes; again done on the Cricut (I love my Cricut!).

I made the party hats using some scrapbooking paper, paper garland I found on sale at Michael's, some foam stickers, and some elastic (the kind used for making jewelry). As my template I used a cheap hat from the party store. I just traced it on my paper (2 per), cut it out, glued together with hot glue, fancied them up with my embellishments, and then used the hot glue again to fasten the elastic. My inspiration came from this tutorial at Such Pretty Things.

This is a book my friend Meghan made for Emma Kate. Inside were pages for guests to write messages for Emma Kate to read when she's older. It turned out great, Meghan is so talented!

For the guest tables, we used pink and green table cloths and used the favors (pink and green bubbles) to anchor our pink and green balloons. They were quick and easy center pieces.

Then of course are the cupcakes. I was planning on making them myself, but at the last minute decided to buy from Sam's Club (30 for $12.99). They were nowhere near as good as home made, but they saved a TON of time. The cupcake stand is made by Wilton. I got mine off of Amazon for a great deal. I decorated the stand with scrapbooking paper and made the cupcake toppers by cutting the shapes out with the Cricut and using a pink Sharpie to draw the design on. Lastly I used craft glue to adhere them to a lollipop stick. I must give credit to Kim at The TomKat Studio for these cute cupcake ideas. Her blog is so inspiring!

For food we had BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese, chips, veggies, Puffs, Cheerios, and watermelon. I tried to come up with a menu that would work well for adults and children (we had about 10 other 1-year olds there, too).

I made her birthday outfit because I couldn't find anything I liked better than the picture in my mind (does that happen to you, too?). Her shirt is a plain tee from Children's Place that I used iron transfers for the images and then applied "liquid sequence" on top. Her tutu is light pink, hot pink, and green. I made it using this tutorial at Plumtickled. Her bloomers were a gift from a family friend. They're embroidered with her initials (EKK).

....................................................

This next set of pictures are from her second birthday party. Yes, you read that right. This was a much smaller deal, at our home. I used a lot of left overs from the big shabang (like favors, chips, drinks, banners, and party hats). I did end up making some fresh cupcakes, and they were yummy. I used a recipe from Martha.

My girl's one, I guess it's time to start planning her 2nd birthday. =)

Giveaway!

Rebecca at Blue Cricket Design is holding a giveaway. She's cleaned out her craft room and one of us gets to reap the benefits! Woo hoo! You can enter here.

Pay it forward

Paying it forward (from Little t Jane)

Woohoo! Time to spread some crafty love around! First 5 people who comment on this post will receive something special and handmade from me! It will be unique and special and heartfelt!

* In return, all you need to do is please post a Pay It Forward on your blog:

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It’ll be done this year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something tangible.

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your note.

7. Send your mailing address if you don’t live close to me!

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay this forward.

I really want to win this!

Check out this giveaway over at Make It and Love It. These watches are so cute!

Anthony's party

There were no expensive decorations, no DJs, no caterers, and no fancy dinnerware.

I think these types of celebrations are the most sweet. No frills--just a home cooked dinner, fresh cupcakes, and our little family.

ps... Having said that, we're still working on the big party this weekend. Emma Kate's party planning is coming along. I will post some sneak-peek pictures soon.

This is why we will most likely be relocating Emma Kate's upcoming birthday party...

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 524 AM EDT SUN JUN 21 2009 FLZ020>025-030>033-035>038-040-GAZ132>136-149>154-162>166-220000- /O.CON.KJAX.HT.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-090622T0000Z/ HAMILTON-SUWANNEE-COLUMBIA-BAKER-NASSAU-DUVAL-UNION-BRADFORD-CLAY- ST JOHNS-GILCHRIST-ALACHUA-PUTNAM-FLAGLER-MARION-COFFEE- JEFF DAVIS-BACON-APPLING-WAYNE-ATKINSON-WARE-PIERCE-BRANTLEY- INLAND GLYNN-COASTAL GLYNN-ECHOLS-CLINCH-CHARLTON-INLAND CAMDEN- COASTAL CAMDEN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...JASPER...LIVE OAK...LAKE CITY... MACCLENNY...FERNANDINA BEACH...JACKSONVILLE...LAKE BUTLER... STARKE...GREEN COVE SPRINGS...ST AUGUSTINE...TRENTON... GAINESVILLE...PALATKA...PALM COAST...OCALA...DOUGLAS... HAZLEHURST...ALMA...BAXLEY...JESUP...PEARSON...WAYCROSS... BLACKSHEAR...NAHUNTA...BRUNSWICK...STATENVILLE...HOMERVILLE... FOLKSTON...WOODBINE...ST MARYS 524 AM EDT SUN JUN 21 2009 ...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING... A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA TODAY. THE COMBINATION OF A HUMID AIRMASS AND VERY HOT TEMPERATURES NEAR 100 DEGREES WILL RESULT IN A PERIOD OF HEAT INDICES THAT WILL REACH OR EXCEED 110 DEGREES TODAY. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS...STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM...STAY OUT OF THE SUN...AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS. IF POSSIBLE...CONDUCT ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES EARLY IN THE MORNING OR LATE IN THE EVENING WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE COOLER.

Happy Father's Day!

My husband, Anthony, is quite a man. He goes to school full-time and works close to full-time, yet he still has time for his little Emma Kate. No one can make her laugh like he does and when she needs comfort, he runs to scoop her up. I'll never forget the look on his face when he held his baby for the first time, he was so happy, so overwhelmed, so scared, (so sick), and so proud at that moment. He tries so hard to be a great dad, and he is. He is also a great husband. He will go out of his way to do almost anything for his family. We love him, and today we did our best to thank him for being so great. Here is some of what we did:

I also got him a leather cuff from Anne at Leather Made Nice. Check out her Etsy shop, she is very talented and a pleasure to work with. The inside says "ich liebe dich, Vati," it means "I love you, Daddy" in German.

These things are fun!

This is a word cloud of one of my favorite quotes by President Hinckley.

This is the original quote:

”Regardless of your circumstances, walk with faith. Rear your children in light and truth. Teach them to pray while they are young. Read to them from the scriptures even though they may not understand all that you read. Teach them to pay their tithes and offerings on the first money they ever receive. Let this practice become a habit in their lives. Teach your sons to honor womanhood. Teach your daughters to walk in virtue. Accept responsibility in the Church, and trust in the Lord to make you equal to any call you may receive. Your example will set a pattern for your children. Reach out in love to those in distress and need.” President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Nov 1995.

To make your own word cloud, head over to www.wordle.net.

The invitations are (finally) done.

Well, they're done. These took about 3 hours to make (not including the many hours of redesign). I'm not happy with the final colors of the ink, but I'll get over it. And if someone notices that the green ink isn't the same green in the border, well, they can just kiss my booty.

My inspiration for these comes from Kim over at The TomKat Studio. Check our her blog, she has a lot of great ideas to share.

This is the mess that comes with making invitations at 10:00pm.

A mother's worst nightmare.

A fellow mommy blogger has recently been dished the worst news any parent could hear. She found out that her two-year-old son, Ezra, has Leukemia. She is a stay at home mom and her husband is working part time while he goes to school full time. They need our help. If you're able to donate, great. If not, please, keep them in your prayers.

Read Ezra's story here.

What to do with all those pesky grocery bags?

Make a grocery bag holder! I made this for a friend who needs one in her nursery. This is my first crack at one of these and I think it turned out pretty cute! I think our pantry will be getting one soon...

Mom's Birthday Present

The tote ended up being A LOT harder than predicted. I decided to go with my own idea of what I wanted and skipped using the tutorials. That was probably my first mistake.

The interfacing I used was Peltex. That was my second mistake. I don't think I will be working with Peltex again for a long time. A looooooooooong time. I used some of the same interfacing to make the pocket (also a bad use of Peltex). You can see just how stiff and thick it is.

The straps were my other big hurdle. I first tried making straps using the Peltex (third mistake), that's didn't work. Didn't work at all. Not even close. So I then tried to make a casing and tried to shove a smaller strip of the Peltex into the strap. Also didn't work. My third attempt was golden. I'm proud of this one. I used one long piece of the lining (a bottom weight fabric), folded in half and sewed long edge. Next I turned that right-side out and then topstitched the folded edge. It didn't have enough umph, so I added the stitching in the center. They turned out great and I think this will be my "strap of choice" in the future.

The second project I did was the boxy bag. Well, that turned out great, except one side which is a little wonky. If you try this tutorial, be sure to follow the pictures, as well as the instructions. The writer leaves out a lot of information that is seen in the photo. Of course, when I didn't read that information, I figured it must not matter and later learned it did (after a few go rounds with my BFF, the seam ripper).

The last project is just precious. My little love bird turned out very goofy and not really like the picture of what it was supposed to look like, but I love it. I think Mom will love it, too. My only advice for this one is to use a high quality felt for the hair and feet. My hair ended ripping off (but I kinda liked it better that way).

The links to all of these tutorials can be found a couple of posts ago.